Educators: The NAMM Show is Your Show
At The 2023 NAMM Show, educators will find sessions, networking opportunities, and events that speak to the professional needs of today’s administrators and teachers. NAMM Show veterans may recognize some familiar programming tracks like the Music Education Days, GenNext, and the Nonprofit Management Institute, as well as signature events such as Careers in Music Summit, The Grand Rally for Music Education, and the All-Industry Drum Circle and Ukulele Circle, but new to The 2023 NAMM Show is an overarching theme called NAMM’s Million More Music Makers.
Million More Music Makers is a new, comprehensive initiative that offers focused sessions and hands-on training to expand guitar, ukulele, and bass music learning opportunities in schools and communities for people of all ages. While the program is ideal for teachers of all grade levels, it is also a perfect fit for amateur and professional musicians, college students and faculty, school administrators, curriculum specialists, and community music organization leaders and participants.
Joining The NAMM Foundation to uplift Million More Music Makers is the American String Teachers Association (ASTA); California Music Educators Association (CMEA); College Music Society (CMS); Langley Ukulele Association; Music Will (formerly Little Kids Rock); National Association for Music Education (NAfME); Save the Music Foundation; GAMA Teaching Guitar Workshop; Technology in Music Education (TI:ME), Young Audiences Arts for Learning; Guitars for Vets; Guitars in the Classroom; Make Music Alliance, and more.
Million More Music Makers is also being loaned instruments and accessories to facilitate its hands-on events, workshops, and sessions thanks to NAMM members like Kala Brand Music Co., Remo, Yamaha Corporation of America, and others.
Highlights from the various programming tracks include:
Introduction to The NAMM Show for College Music Students and Educators
When: Wednesday, April 5, from 10 – 10:30 am
Where: NAMM Show+
Help prepare yourself for your first NAMM Show experience and learn about GenNext. If this is your first time at The NAMM Show—in person or virtually—make this your first stop to get the basics before you explore all that The 2023 NAMM Show has to offer. (Editor’s Note: This is an online session and streaming will start ahead of The NAMM Show on April 5).
Authentic Music Inclusion Workshop: Discover Ways to Adapt Music for All Students
When: Thursday, April 13, from 9 – 11:30 am
Where: ACC, Level 2, 213D
Explore a learner-driven approach to creating full participation in music for students of all abilities, including students with IEPs and 504 plans. Adapting music in a group setting can be an uplifting and even miraculous experience for everyone involved; barriers drop, relationships form, insights and ideas emerge, collaboration rises to new heights, and understandings and abilities blossom. We will share a wide range of instruments and supports for including students with motoric, verbal, auditory, cognitive, neurological, medical, behavioral, and social-emotional awareness issues. Instruments will be provided.
Covering All Your Basses: An Introduction to Bass Guitar
When: Thursday, April 13, from 12 – 2 pm
Where: ACC, Level 2, 213C
With a name like that, you can’t possibly miss this session. Take a deep dive into the bass guitar with artist Justin Emord. We'll cover everything from scales to finger exercises to set your students up for sustained success. Guitars will be provided by Yamaha Corporation of America and accessories are being provided by Hosa Technology, Inc. and Positive Grid.
A Great Duo: Combining the Bass and Ukulele
When: Thursday, April 13, from 2 – 3 pm
Where: ACC, Level 2, 213C
This session provides the opportunity to observe and discover the advantages of including the bass as part of the ukulele classroom and/or ensemble experience. Participants will learn techniques for employing this instrumental combination to help establish the beat, develop ear training, and enhance the student’s music-making and ensemble experiences. Ukuleles and a limited number of U-basses are provided by Kala Brand Music Co.
Innovative Strategies to Bring Music to Students in Special Education, Home and Hospital Programs, and the Juvenile Justice System
When: Thursday, April 13, from 1 - 2:30 pm
Where: ACC, Level 2, 213D
Explore the Guitars in the Classroom (GITC) “Low Floor, High Ceiling” approach to serving students whose diverse abilities and needs have traditionally isolated them from participating in music education. We’ll introduce a range of examples, effective strategies, adaptive teaching techniques, and practical considerations to help your school or district meet the musical needs of all students.
TECHnically, It’s Millions and Millions More Music Makers!
When: Thursday, April 13, from 2 – 3 pm
Where: ACC, Level 2, 212AB
By combining interactive popular music with engaging technology, we can create millions and millions more music makers for life. This presentation will demonstrate a range of options for engaging students with musical content and technology.
Build, Sustain, and Expand Your Music Education Ecosystem
When: Thursday, April 13, from 4 – 5:30 pm
Where: ACC, Level 2, 213D
A panel of experts representing diverse sectors will discuss the current landscape of possible music teacher shortage and lead an interactive workshop to examine what we can do collaboratively to expand the teacher pathways by sharing culturally relevant and culturally sustaining practices and approaches for music education that support students’ social and emotional needs. The NAMM Foundation presents this session in collaboration with the Save The Music Foundation.
Teach Guitar Using NAfME Best Practices
When: Thursday, April 13, from 4 – 5:30 pm
Where: ACC, Level 2, 212AB
This hands-on workshop will review the NAfME Council for Guitar Education’s four-year curriculum guide of best practices for teachers. Topics include chord playing, music theory, improvisation, technique, and note reading. The content supports the development of rigorous music learning and inspiring school guitar programs. Guitars provided by Yamaha Corporation of America.
An Overview of Popular Music and Modern Band
When: Friday, April 14, from 9 – 10 am
Where: ACC, Level 2, 213C
This workshop is centered on the belief that all people are musical, which can be demonstrated quickly and in an enjoyable manner by leveraging the musical preferences of your students. This is achieved through modern band performances using culturally relevant music chosen by students and taught through approximation, music acquisition theory, and social equity.
From Performing Musician to Classroom Guitar Teacher
When: Friday, April 14, from 9 – 10:30 am
Where: ACC, Level 2, 213D
This hands-on workshop is designed for performers who wish to expand their skills and become artists-in-residence in schools or teach in private studios. This session will explore activities and strategies for beginner guitar teachers, including advanced recording and production techniques. Guitars provided by Yamaha Corporation of America.
Education Leaders Speak: Shifting School Culture by Expanding the Role of Music
When: Friday, April 14, from 10:30 – 11:45 am
Where: ACC, Level 2, 213D
Want to move the needle on creativity, access, and school spirit by expanding the role of music in your district or school? Hear from leaders in public education who have successfully created (or expanded) robust musical opportunities for their elementary, middle, and high school students. They’ll share obstacles they faced, approaches they developed, and collaborations that made it happen.
Teach Guitar? Why Me?!
When: Saturday, April 15, from 9 – 9:45 am
Where: ACC, Level 2, 213B
Non-guitarist music educators are often asked to take on guitar classes and multi-level guitar programs, as the guitar is often combined with other disciplines. This, combined with the lack of pre-service pedagogical training in guitar at the undergraduate level, leaves a tremendous gap in curricular knowledge about current classroom guitar methods. Teaching Guitar Workshop (TGW) will provide an overview of well-known methods, including sequencing/pacing, ways to supplement instruction books, and classroom implementation strategies. This session will make teaching guitar your favorite class! Guitars provided by Yamaha Corporation of America.
Teach Language, Literacy, and SEL through Song: Development Ukulele, Guitar, and Collaborative Songwriting
When: Saturday, April 15, from 2:30 – 4:30 pm
Where: ACC, Level 2, 213D
This hands-on workshop will explore cultivating language, phonological awareness, reading, writing, and developmentally informed social-emotional learning through the power of singing, playing, and composing “Songs for Learning” with students. Participants will experience a simplified, developmental sequence of instruction on ukulele and guitar that is integrated with vocal music and collaborative student songwriting UTK-12. This scalable approach boosts instrumental and vocal practice through songwriting with traditional songs and sentence frames. We'll work in large and small groups and pairs to build essential learning and SEL-informed collaborative habits.
The full Million More Music Makers schedule can be found online at NAMM Show+, where you can add sessions of interest to your NAMM Show schedule.
The events, education, and benefits for educators don’t end with the conclusion of The NAMM Show. When educators register for The 2023 NAMM Show, they automatically become members of NAMM under the Individual Membership category. By becoming a member of NAMM, educators have access to year-round resources and benefits. For more information on Individual Membership, please visit https://ww1.namm.org/attendee/articles/introducing-individual-membership.
Register for The NAMM Show today at https://registration.namm.org.